Maryland Slated to Receive Over $75 Million in Military Construction Appropriations Bill

Washington, D.C.  Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Paul S. Sarbanes (both D-MD) announced important victories for several of Marylands military bases. The Senates

FY05 Military Construction Appropriations bill passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee today includes provisions providing military installations in Maryland with federal dollars totaling over $75 million to cover new construction costs.

We need to do everything we can to support our troops  not just with words but with deeds. Every year I fight to make sure our military has the tools they need to keep us safe, said Senator Mikulski. Now, more than ever, we need to take their needs to heart. I will keep fighting to make sure there is funding in the federal checkbook for our military bases.

We've worked hard to ensure that Maryland's military installations continue to fare well in the annual appropriations process, both enhancing these state-of-the-art facilities and in making quality of life improvements at these bases, said Sarbanes. These facilities are not only important to our overall national defense, but also out State's economy, resulting in significant spillover opportunities in our hi-tech defense related sectors.

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND

Chemical and Biological Sample Reception Facility
Senators Mikulski and Sarbanes secured $13 million in this legislation to accelerate construction of a Chemical and Biological Sample Reception Facility to allow the U.S. Army Soldier, Biological and Chemical Command (SBCCOM) to continue vital chemical and biological defense research at Aberdeens Edgewood Arsenal (The Administration did not include any funding for this project in their budget). The current Chemical Transfer Facility is deteriorating rapidly and could pose health risks. The new building will provide a safe and environmentally sound facility for receipt, triage, analysis and archiving of uncharacterized samples containing chemical agents, toxic chemicals, microbiologicals, biological toxins, and radioactive materials.

This facility will directly support national chemical and biological defense R&D missions and the expanding homeland security role of defense against terrorist use of chemical or biological agents.

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE

These projects are part of Operation NOBLE EAGLE to help protect the homeland and make sure our troops are ready to respond to air threats to the national capital region in a moments notice.

Air Sovereignty Alert Aircraft Support Facilities
The Maryland Senators secured $5 million for fighter aircraft alert complex support facilities, including pavement for taxiway and maneuvering areas, taxiway edge lighting, and installation of emergency arresting systems at both ends of the west runway with asphalt maintenance access roads.

Fighter Aircraft Alert Complex
Andrews will use $11 million in federal funding to build six individual alert shelters, alert quarters, and an entry control facility.

Agile Chemical Facility
The Maryland Senators secured $13.9 million to replace two older and substandard plants with a new state-of-the-art facility. The facility will provide safer and more environmentally-sound production of propellants and explosives, including OTTO fuel for torpedoes, which is only produced at NSWC Indian Head.

Army Reserve Center/OMS/Warehouse Phase II
$14.6 million will be used to complete the new Army Reserve Center, Organizational Maintenance Shop and Warehouse.

NSA: Critical Communications Path
$3.5 million in federal funding will be used for the Communications Ductbank project which will upgrade communications distribution between NSA facilities to improve the reliability of communications connectivity.

NSA: Deep Wells
$8.1 million was secured for this new Groundwater Supply Facilty which will establish stand-by capability to produce treated water from a dedicated source to supply NSA Headquarters.

NSA: Reconfigured Chilled Water Phase II
$3.4 million will be used to provide more flexible and automated chilled water distribution to support NSA Headquarters.

In the next step of the appropriations process, the bill will move to the floor of the Senate for a vote, which has not yet been scheduled. Following the Senate vote, the House and

Senate will meet in Conference Committee to work out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The conference report will then be sent back to the floor of both Houses of Congress for a vote. Once passed by the House and Senate, the Military Construction Appropriations bill will be sent to the President for his signature.

Senator Mikulski is a member of the Appropriations Committee. Senator Sarbanes is a member of the Budget Committee.